William A. Masterson of Mendocino, died on Tuesday, March 11, 2014, at home. Born during the Depression to a struggling Catholic family in the Irish ghetto of Flushing, Long Island, New York, Bill felt blessed to spend his last years overlooking the ocean from his beautiful home in Mendocino. His success in life was no accident. He won scholarships, while working fulltime, to Loyola High School and to UCLA, where he was a candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship in 1951-1952. After serving as a drill instructor in the U.S. Army for two years, Bill continued his education at UCLA Law School, graduating with the class of 1958.Bill's peers described his law career as nothing short of brilliant. He was a business trial lawyer for close to 30 years, practicing as a partner in three major law firms, including Skaddan, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom. In 1988, Bill began his many years on the bench and he felt his biggest contribution to the law was as a judge. He served on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, hearing both civil and criminal cases, until he was elevated to associate justice on the California Court of Appeal. Before retiring completely, Bill worked as a private judge resolving disputes through arbitration.Born under the astrological sign of Cancer, Bill was devoted to his home and family. For 40 years he showered his wife, Julie, with love, bringing her coffee and oatmeal in bed every day and toasting her as "the girl of my dreams who became the love of my life" at every possible occasion. A natural born father, he adored his four children, Mark, Mary, Tim and Barbara. Parenting was a joy, from bedtime stories as he tucked them in at night, to wise counsel and unflagging support as they grew up. Being the only member of his family to go to college, Bill deeply valued the power of a good education and made sure his children and four grandchildren, Patrick, Meghan, Finian and Rory, would have the same opportunity for higher education. He took great pride that, like him, each of his children went on to build successful careers after graduation. Suffering from incurable cancer for over a year, his only regret was that he would not live to see his grandchildren make their way in the world. He will be deeply missed by all his family and the wide circle of friends and associates whose lives he touched. A memorial mass and reception will be held at St. Anthony Catholic Church, 10700 Lansing Street, Mendocino on Monday, March 31, 2014, at noon. Donations in Bill's memory may be made to:The Hospice Program, Mendocino Coast District Hospital, 700 River Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437, www.mcdh.org/dept/hospice-program; or Mendocino Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 901, Mendocino, CA 95460, www.mendocinofire.com.A celebration of life, "Honoring His Honor," will be held at The California Club, 538 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA on Saturday, April 12, 2014, at 2 p.m. Phone: 213-622-1391. Website: www.californiaclub.org. Donations in Bill's memory may be made to: The Bishop Goodan Home, 191 N. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101, www.goodancenter.org/bishop-goodan-home.html; or Loyola High School, 1901 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90006, www.loyolahs.edu.God bless, my darling.